Rather than debate whether there is or isn't an upcoming AOE 4, or what period in history AOE 4 could or should be set, I think it would be better if we try and highlight specific areas for game improvement and to start brainstorming ideas to better a potentially upcoming AOE 4. The goal is that eventually someone with influence may stumble across our creative smorgasboard or finally acknowledge one of many emails I regularly send off to potential AOE 4 game developers. From your ideas raised here in this thread, game developers are free to pick and choose any they find beneficial and discard any they find detrimental to the game. I guess I'll start first, I'll make additions as I think of more.
***Note: If you support any of the ideas listed below, would like to RAISE YOUR OWN IDEAS or otherwise would simply like to VOICE YOUR OPINION in specific regards to game improvements, please feel free to CONTRIBUTE folks! Remember, this is your chance to HAVE YOUR SAY and TAKE PART in making a potential AOE 4 an even better game than its predecessor!!!***
Please bring back...
Lock Gate (to stop allies from stealing your resources and building crap in your base. Also to stop your artillery creeping outside of your walls and getting into trouble)
Stand Ground mode for all military units especially artillery (see "Anchor Down" below for ships)
Attack Ground (artillery)
Advanced Formations (e.g. the ability to split formations in two in attempt to flank) *edited: thanks for your feedback*
Patrol (see "Territory Lines" and "Advanced Patrol" below)
Computer opponents can build walls and gates to defend their civilization
Ability to chat to, tribute, taunt and change diplomacy with all players including enemies ("Lock Teams" option for multiplayer prior to game commencement) *edited: thanks for your feedback*
Settler/Villager Fishing Ability: "Settlers/villagers can cast nets from the shore to catch nearby fish" - *From Metis*
Please keep...
Some sort of home city or accumulative level up basis as the player gains experience
Individualizations and customizations such as home city customizations. Please keep the average player, and more importantly, the average consumer in mind people ;)
Please consider...
More intelligent AI
-That can declare war if provoked or negotiate peace and/or a new alliance if game difficulty is easy or they are in a weak military, economic, political or tactical position
-That can repair damaged buildings/walls, heal injured units and transport villagers/settlers over water to colonize other areas
Politics - Monarchy, Democracy, Communism, Fascism etc.
Advanced Diplomacy ("Lock Teams" option for multiplayer prior to game commencement) - military, economic, political or tactical action(s) induced declarations of war, neutrality, peace and alliance. *edited: thanks for your feedback*
-E.g. Player armies surrounding an allied base in military formation, blockades, entrapments and/or economic sanctions may induce neutrality and potential war instantly or over time depending on the amount of blackmail or bribery involved
-E.g. intentionally encircling allies with your walls and locking the gates will result in persistent requests from your ally to free them. These requests if ignored become more forceful with time and may result in military, economic, political or tactical consequences and eventually all out war. If you free them but then trap more by relocking the gates, they may instantly declare war on you.
-E.g. Change from Fascism or Communism to Democracy may sever relations with Fascists or Communist allies. Becoming a Republic may impact relations with the Monarchy and allied Constitutional Monarchies.
-E.g. Taking all the good land and/or resources within a country thus forcing allies to live in swampland and/or poverty may induce war etc etc.
Blackmail - The ability for enemy initiated negotiations to demand a price for attack prevention/cessation/temporary and/or permanent treaty/temporary and/or permanent alliance. Some types of governments may be less open to blackmail while others may be more so
Bribery - The ability for player initiated negotiations by structured chatting and tributing to a dominant military, economic, political or tactical power as to promote attack prevention/cessation/temporary and/or permanent treaty/temporary and/or permanent alliance. Some types of governments may be less open to bribery while others may be more so
Advanced tributes may help negotiate temporary or permanent peace, treaty or new alliances
Bulk Tributes - The ability to tribute larger amounts (greater than 100 units) in one go, thus saving time (e.g. 1000 units). Alternatively, there may be arrows above and below the tribute units indicating "more" or "less". By clicking and holding down the "more" arrow, the tribute amount increases faster and faster until the right amount is decided and vice versa
Computer opponent strategy in skirmish can be selected prior to game commencement alongside difficulty. Difficulty setting may be expert, but if a defensive strategy is selected by the player, the computer will focus on building a highly advanced civilization including a highly advanced defense system with ample improvements researched before initiating all out attack. This is not to say that the computer is vulnerable to a rush, especially when difficulty is expert. Economy, Attack and ? strategies also available.
Global Map – Such as the Google Earth format, all of which can be conquered through individual battles, or explored and colonized to benefit your country. See Empire Earth 3
Global conquest ability- after each victory, a country is yours. After each defeat, a country falls to your victorious enemy. The more countries you conquer, the stronger you are or perhaps the more stretched your supply lines. This should depend on how you use and govern the country. By attacking a weaker country perhaps you risk war with her stronger allies. Some countries are not worth conquering. Some lands may be unexplored, uninhabited and not yet claimed. More scope and perspective rather than focus on winning individual battles. This is the reality of war.
Political options available (among others) to govern newly conquered lands providing military, economic, political or tactical means which may help further conquest
Realisic civilizations that are unbalanced in campaign mode respective to history, but are balanced in multiplayer so that when competing with onliners, your favourite country is not disadvantaged (civs in this case are "equal but different"). For campaign mode, this will make historical reenactment type scenarios incredibly realistic and challenging, bringing with it a sense of nostalgia. The potential implications are enormous!
-E.g. When campaign civs are completely unbalanced such as historical France/Poland vs historical Germany, the player can aim to fulfill certain objectives to complete the scenario rather than have to eliminate the opponent
Realistic country maps increase a sense of achievement/loss after each victory/defeat of a country, and may be seen amongst a square or rectangular mini map. For example; Italy will look like Italy (boot shape), with the rest of the area on the mini map a black impassable void or sections of sea that can be navigated, depending on the country's geography. Trading post, resource and player geographical positioning on a map doesn't have to be symmetrical for player equality (these "fair" unrealistic maps may be reserved for multiplayer as an option).
Historically realistic looking landmarks on realistic country maps both natural and man-made that can affect your military, economic, political or tactical position within an individual battle as well as your entire global campaign
Realistic positioning of historically realistic looking landmarks on realistic country maps E.g. The capital Paris is in Northern France. The Swiss Alps are difficult to cross and connect to the south of Germany
Realistic effects of geography and topography on individual battles as well as entire global campaigns E.g. Swamps and marshes on the east of the map will bog down the east wing of highlanders as they commence a highland charge. It may take longer to mobilize armies in equatorial regions due to dense rainforest growth and few roads.
Roads (gravel, dirt or bitumen) - Moving armies on pre-existing roads may produce a speed bonus with magnitude depending on the quality of the road. However, while cramped on the road, units are at higher risk to mines/roadside bombs, land and air ambush due to area attack
Supply Routes - Player purpose built and pre-existing roads behind player and/or allied lines having been safely cleared of danger can be used to speed up reinforcement mobilization
Terrain bonuses such as high ground bonus for all, snow and ice bonus for Russian armies and jungle bonus for Asian armies etc.
Trees are somewhat more to scale whilst still fitting comfortably within the screen. Trees may be of various heights (e.g. the tallest being awe-inspiring old growth forests that provide much more wood)
All units are somewhat more to scale - This may require villagers/settlers and infantry etc to appear smaller so that buildings, walls and potentially large artillery appear more to scale whilst still fitting comfortably within the screen.
Historically realistic looking ships that are more expensive, move more realistically and are somewhat more to scale whilst still fitting comfortably within the screen. This will emphasize the military, economic, political and tactical value of ships and increase the significance on the outcomes of naval battles. Larger ships may be slower, take longer to turn and maneuver, and may be unable to enter shallower waters
Anchor Down - Stand ground mode for ships
More realisitic railways including railway tunnels and underground subways that can be created and placed anywhere along the existing track where it meets a mountain or player wall. Tunnels allow mountains to be negotiated, while underground subways allow uninterrupted wall perimeters to be built above them, better protecting player bases
More realistic walls with higher hit points (in AOE 3, one arrow can take a chunk off a stone wall, the chunk then flakes off with unrealistic sound effects) - Also, by allowing cavalry and infantry units (except those armed with explosives) the ability to inflict much less damage to walls as compared to artillery and seige units, walls are much more realistic, requiring more realistic siege strategies to destroy them.
Mass wall repair ability by double clicking a wall to select all wall sections in the area and being able to repair them simultaneously.
Wall Sentry - Improvement that allows slow automatic self repair of all walls sections
Structural Engineers - Improvement that allows slow automatic self repair of all buildings
Unit Promotion - after surviving significant battles, surviving units increase in hit points, attack, range, area damage, morale (range independent) and have Veteran Insignia depending on the level of promotion - See Command and Conquer Red Alert - Veterans
Morale (range dependent) - Temporary morale gained when fighting within range of your town center, dock and any defensive structure (including forts, castles, outposts and walls) resulting in higher fighting effectiveness and reduced chance of desertion or mutiny
Morale (range independent) - Permanent morale gained through unit promotion resulting in higher fighting effectiveness and reduced chance of desertion or mutiny
Visible morale range (range dependent morale) represented by dotted lines in player color, visible when the player selects the town centre, dock or any defensive structure belonging to that player.
Desertion - If a large army is practically wiped out in a single battle, a minority may desert and flee, during which they are neither subject to you or the enemy, but will fall under control of whoever chases them down and rounds them up first (gaja). Reduced chance of desertion with higher morale
Mutiny - If a large fleet of ships are lost in a single battle, a minority may mutiny and flee, during which they are neither subject to you or the enemy, but will fall under control of whoever chases them down and rounds them up first (gaja). Reduced chance of mutiny with higher morale
Leadership Techs - Various improvements that permanently increase morale range (range dependent morale) or magnitude (range independent morale) reducing the chance of desertion or mutiny
Territory Lines - Lines outlining claimed lands and waters belonging to that player
-Player territory lines expand as player buildings are built (through LOS) and are furthered when player LOS is increased or when player military units advance
-Player territory lines retract as enemy buildings are built (through LOS) and are reduced when enemy LOS is increased or when enemy military units advance
-If unescorted villagers/settlers/fishing boats and other non-military units are assigned to areas outside of player territory lines, as they do not affect territory lines unless a building is built, they are technically operating "behind enemy lines"
Visible territory lines represented by dotted lines in player color, visible when you select any building or military unit belonging to that player.
Advanced Patrol - Military units can be ordered to patrol territory lines, wall perimeters or custom patrol paths (numerous right clicks to designate custom patrol paths). If territory lines are changed due to player or enemy increases in buildings, building LOS or military advances, so too does the patrol path of any remaining military units patrolling territory lines or wall perimeters
All units appear and sound more injured or damaged as hit points are reduced and orders are given - for visible damage see AOE 3 - Ship and Building Physics Engine
-E.g. Injured villagers/settlers appear and sound dazed, exhausted, begin to waver, have bandages then crutches
-E.g. Injured infantry appear and sound dazed, exhausted, begin to waver, have bandages, splints, eventually not being able to stand up straight in formation
-E.g. Damaged artillery appear and sound warped, dented, have holes, emit smoke, catch fire and eventually explode
Formation direction adjust right click (determines the facing direction of military formations when selecting where you want them to go (holding the right click down and moving the mouse to adjust an arrow representing direction, and releasing the right click once location and facing direction is decided) - see Empire Earth
Visible healing range of field hospitals and other healing sites represented by dotted lines in player color, visible when you select any healing site belonging to that player
More zoom options such as apex epic/landscape zoom, horizon facing up-down zoom, and cinematic zoom rather than just the basic straight down zoom. This make games (especially viewing battles) much more of an epic experience - see Empire Earth
Motto/quote - Reserved character space for a player self-created motto, quote, phrase or sentence that can be seen beside your nickname, explorer, home city or country name which may/may not reveal to other players what you stand for
-E.g. "Sic semper tyrannis"
-E.g. "Let's just be friends"
More player colors/tones/shades to choose from in skirmish and multiplayer
All names and individualizations can be edited and lengthened e.g. explorer, home city, country and motto etc. Helpful when you want to change those names at higher levels of experience without losing your progress and having to start again. More room for longer names.